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Adult attachment and testosterone reactivity: Fathers' avoidance predicts changes in testosterone during the strange
Robin S Edelstein1, Kristi Chin1, Ekjyot K Saini2
1Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America.
Insights
Parental testosterone levels decrease during a stressful infant interaction task. Fathers with avoidant attachment styles showed less testosterone change, independent of personality traits.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Parental caregiving is influenced by hormonal factors.
- Testosterone's role in parental behavior is complex and requires further investigation.
- The Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) is a validated stressor for assessing parent-infant interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine parental testosterone reactivity to the SSP.
- To investigate gender differences in testosterone reactivity between mothers and fathers.
- To explore the influence of adult attachment orientation and personality on testosterone changes.
Main Methods:
- Salivary testosterone levels were measured pre- and post-SSP in 146 mothers and 154 fathers interacting with their 1-year-old infants.
- Adult attachment orientation and Big Five personality traits were assessed.
- Statistical analyses examined group differences and the influence of individual difference variables.
Main Results:
- Mothers and fathers exhibited comparable testosterone declines during the SSP.
- Fathers with avoidant attachment orientations showed attenuated testosterone declines.
- The association between fathers' avoidance and testosterone reactivity was independent of general personality traits.
Conclusions:
- This study provides novel evidence for short-term testosterone changes in both mothers and fathers during nurturance-eliciting contexts.
- Individual differences in adult attachment orientation significantly influence parental testosterone reactivity.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering attachment styles in understanding hormonal responses to caregiving demands.
Abstract:
We assessed parents' testosterone reactivity to the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP), a moderately stressful parent-infant interaction task that pulls for parental nurturance and caregiving behavior. Parents (146 mothers, 154 fathers) interacted with their 1-year-old infants, and saliva samples were obtained pre- and post-task to assess changes in testosterone. We examined whether testosterone reactivity differed between mothers and fathers, the extent to which parents' characteristic approaches to closeness (i.e., adult attachment orientation) contributed to testosterone changes, and whether any influences of adult attachment orientation were independent of more general personality characteristics (i.e., the Big Five personality dimensions). Results revealed that mothers and fathers showed comparable declines in testosterone during the SSP, and that these declines were attenuated among fathers with a more avoidant attachment orientation (i.e., those less comfortable with closeness). Associations between fathers' avoidance and testosterone reactivity were statistically independent of broader personality traits. Our findings provide some of the first evidence for short-term changes in both mothers' and fathers' testosterone in contexts that pull for nurturance. Moreover, these findings demonstrate that individual differences in adult attachment may play an important role in understanding such changes. We discuss possible explanations for gender differences in associations between adult attachment and parents' testosterone reactivity, and the extent to which testosterone reactivity might be sensitive to changes in context for mothers versus fathers.